Pay Rs 3000, get your child’s age lowered in Odisha capital

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 5:

Do you wish to lower your child’s age or change other details in the birth certificate? Yes that’s possible if you are prepared to shell out around Rs 3,000 to the staff of the Office of the City Health Officer, Registrar of Birth & Death under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation in the Odisha capital.

A sting operation carried out by Kanak News has exposed the fraudulent practices going on at the said office. The reporter of the news channel posed as a decoy uncle of a child whose parents wanted their child’s date of birth changed to facilitate admission in a CBSE affiliated school.

During the conversation, the woman staff tells that it is possible if the child’s mother’s maiden surname is different from the surname of her husband. She further explained that she would arrange a certificate from a doctor regarding the child’s date of birth as desired by his/her parents and the parents have to swear by an affidavit regarding the child child’s date of birth. Following this, a NOC will be issued by office of the Registrar of Birth & Death and using that the parent of the child will file a misc case in the local court.

After the court’s verdict, the office of the Registrar of Birth & Death will issue the revised certificate as per the details provided by the applicant.

The lady official is heard in the video telling Kanak News reporter that the latter would get the revised birth certificate by December if he begins the process now. She said though the child’s father is required to physically appear at the office and sign documents, she would manage it if she is provided with the identity proof of his brother and Rs 3000 as bribe.